Rebirth: The Journey of an Heiress novel Chapter 1259

Chapter 1259 -1254: A Two-Pronged Approach

Someone was tearing at their luggage, others fiercely ripped at the clothes of their whole family, trying to see if they were hiding any food. The women screamed incessantly, and the children cried hysterically.

Bai Jinse, who had turned back, stood at the entrance watching the scene in the broken temple. Her eyes searched for the boy, and sure enough… she saw the boy clenching a flatbread in his mouth, using his hands and feet to crawl out from under the crowd, and running towards Bai Jinse.

Seeing the boy had taken the opportunity to escape, Bai Jinse turned and walked away. The boy jogged to keep up with Bai Jinse, tearing the firmly pressed flatbread in half and stuffing the extra half into Bai Jinse’s hands.

Bai Jinse lowered her eyes to look at the little boy who was gazing up at her with bright eyes. When Bai Jinse didn’t take it, the little boy pushed the flatbread into her hands.

“Eat…” the boy said.

This flatbread was something the boy had risked his life to snatch back. Bai Jinse originally didn’t want to eat it—it should belong to the boy. But having not eaten for such a long time, Bai Jinse needed strength to escape and had to eat.

She disregarded the boy’s dirty hands and the possible saliva on the flatbread, accepted it, thanked him, and began eating as she walked. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

With something suddenly entering her stomach, Bai Jinse felt as though she came back to life. She restrained herself from devouring it, chewing in small bites. She hadn’t forgotten Doctor Hong’s advice: when starved for too long, one should drink porridge to help the internal organs adapt. But now, without porridge or water, she had to chew the flatbread thoroughly.

Bai Jinse and the boy headed north, eating as they walked…

The moon hung high in the sky, and stars dotted the heavens.

The pale light shone on the withered trees, still yet to bud. Bai Jinse and the boy walked under the trees’ terrifying shadows, careful not to let their figures be exposed to the moonlight, lest they be seen by villains and make them have evil thoughts about a weak woman and a little kid.

If Bai Jinse had been walking this road alone today, she might have been scared. But with someone accompanying her, even though it was just a child… Bai Jinse seemed to have gained some courage.

Perhaps that is why those starving people from Xiliang huddled together to travel, why… that family, even with food on them, did not travel alone but chose to accompany these refugees.

Fortunately, Bai Jinse was born into the Bai family and had the chance to learn a lot. So she used the northern star in the sky to keep herself from going off course.

They didn’t dare to walk on the main roads for fear of being caught by ill-intentioned refugees and becoming someone else’s meal. They could only take the narrow paths where tall trees and dense bushes rose skyward.

Now more than ever, Bai Jinse was grateful to the businessman Cui Fengnian, who led the people of Xiliang to hunt so much that almost all the wild animals were killed. At least they didn’t have to worry about ferocious beasts jumping out from the unseen darkness and costing them their lives.

Their footsteps did not stop until dawn broke at the horizon. Bai Jinse was already out of breath. When she turned her head, she saw the little boy closely following her, his chest also heaving heavily.

“Let’s rest here!” Bai Jinse said to the boy.

The boy seemed not to understand, staring directly at Bai Jinse with his dark eyes. Bai Jinse then switched to the common language from Xiliang, speaking in official dialect: “Let’s rest here!”

The boy nodded, and seeing Bai Jinse sit down, he too sat, his gaze sweeping around, trying to find something edible.

The boy, who had been ravenously devouring his food, stopped when he saw Bai Jinse dividing her flatbread into portions and followed suit, partitioning his flatbread and storing it away.

Noticing the boy’s actions, Bai Jinse couldn’t help but pat his head: “Let’s go!”

The little boy stood up, extinguished the fire, and walked with Bai Jinse along the way.

·

Yunjing.

General Cui Shanzhong had just checked on Bai Qingyu, and the Imperial Physician said… Bai Qingyu’s erratic pulse had improved, and he should wake up within a few days.

Finally, a weight in General Cui Shanzhong’s heart was lifted.

“General Cui, do you think… we should wait for the Emperor of Zhou, Bai Qingyan, to arrive, tell her about the Empress Dowager of Yan’s betrayal, and then give Bai Qingyu as a gift to seek allegiance and survival for our country? Or… should we cooperate with the Yan Kingdom?” Li Tianjiao and General Cui Shanzhong strolled slowly along the corridor lit with red lanterns.

“Just as well, I need to discuss this with His Majesty…” General Cui Shanzhong spoke in a composed voice, “I think we might employ a dual strategy!”

Li Tianjiao became interested, turning to General Cui Shanzhong: “Old General, tell me more.”